A Seattle-area visit this spring by Dance Magazine’s Wendy Perron opened some eyes to the exciting dance scene in Seattle.

Wendy was particularly impressed with Amy O’Neal, who is teaching this summer at DANCE This! Camp at Centrum for high schoolers.

“I got to see Amy O’Neal teach at Velocity Dance Center during my visit last weekend. Wow! She’s a wild woman—but also grounded. In the improv warmup, she gave funny/wise instruction. When balancing on one leg, she said, “When you feel yourself losing your balance, transform the struggle to the other side.” Transform the struggle. She taught a phrase that was a true hybrid: modern dance swoops sprinkled with ballet attitude turns and a touch of popping and locking. But more than that, it had the imprint of an original point of view. And it fit gorgeously with the music she chose—a spoken word artist from Minneapolis named Dessa. Amy’s group tinyrage is coming to NYC in October.”

The DANCE This! Camp at Centrum provides an opportunity for high school students to study a wide range of dance styles and techniques in a supportive, yet challenging atmosphere.

Students participate in African, Ballet, Choreography, Hip-Hop and Modern dance classes with professional dance instructors from the Seattle area.